Prosecutors to seek death penalty against Coolbaugh double murder suspect

Wednesday

Oct 10, 2012 at 2:52 PM

The man charged with fatally shooting two other men in Coolbaugh Township Park in August says someone else committed the murders, though police don't believe him.

The man charged with fatally shooting two other men in Coolbaugh Township Park in August says someone else committed the murders, though police don't believe him.

The Monroe County District Attorney's Office has filed notice of its intent to seek the death penalty against Luis Vasquez, 28, of Pocono Summit, if Vasquez is convicted in the deaths of Bertoldo Velez, 55, and Joseph King, 38, both of Stroud Township.

At the end of a Wednesday preliminary hearing, Tobyhanna Magisterial District Judge Anthony Fluegel found prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence to send charges against Vasquez to trial in county court.

Velez loaned people money, with King as his bodyguard, and Vasquez owed him, according to testimony. Vasquez said he owed Velez $10,000, though police said they learned it was closer to $20,000.

Vasquez, who said he had been paying off the debt little by little, said he was supposed to meet Velez at the park the night of Aug. 16 to pay him some more of the money.

A police officer on patrol the next morning found the victims' bodies, both shot multiple times with Velez's head also smashed with a rock, in and next to Velez's car in the park. The men apparently had been dead for hours.

Vasquez told police a group of Italians approached him about a week prior to the murder and asked him if he knew Velez, according to police testimony. Vasquez said he told the Italians "yes," and that they told him, "You'll be hearing from us again."

Vasquez told police the Italians returned on the night of the murder, had him get into their vehicle and then blindfolded him while three of them got into his vehicle and drove off, according to testimony. He said the three returned with his vehicle about two hours later and that they then let him go and told him, "Just be glad the beef isn't with you."

Police testified a note written in Spanish was found on Velez's body at the scene. The note stated words to the effect of, "You thought you could hide, but we found you," First Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso said after the hearing.

Mancuso said Vasquez's story about the Italians isn't supported by the evidence against Vasquez.

For more on this story, check back at PoconoRecord.com and read Thursday's Pocono Record.